The St. Louis Rams (2-7) picked up their first road win of the 2011 season against the Cleveland Browns (3-6) in a low-scoring defensive battle that ended with a 13-12 score. 

It’s hard to get excited about a win after witnessing an inept offense that barely outscored a Browns team that failed to find the end zone the entire game.

Also, it’s painful to think about the Arizona game last week. The Rams’ game-winning field goal by Josh Brown was blocked, which sent the game into overtime and the Cardinals won it with a punt-return touchdown. 

Why is that painful? Because now we know the Rams were one play away from a three-game winning streak.

Regardless, the Rams have a chance to win some more games with back-to-back home games against the Seahawks and the Cardinals starting next week.

For now, the Rams are fortunate to be leaving Cleveland with their second win of the year, and here are the key guys who made that possible. 

Steven Jackson is a beast.  Without Jackson, the Rams might be a historically bad team.  I’m talking 0-16 people.  Don’t believe me?

Jackson carried the Rams offense to a win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 7.  Then he ran for over 100 yards again in Week 8, when the Rams should have won against the Arizona Cardinals.  In Week 9 against Cleveland, Jackson again ran for over 100 yards and led the Rams to a win on the road.

Prior to the last three weeks, Jackson has been injured, and the Rams didn’t have a clue on offense.  Sophomore QB Sam Bradford looks dazed and confused, the receiving corps is beat up and short on talent, and the offensive line is terrible.

If the Rams wanted to explore trading Jackson during the offseason, I think they could get a lot in return for him.  If you put Jackson on a good football team, where he wasn’t running against eight and nine man boxes, it would be scary to guess the numbers he might put up.

Honorable Mention: Brandon Lloyd, wide receiver.  Lloyd is a true number one receiver, and even though he has only been with the Rams for a short while, seeing Lloyd run around out there reminds Rams’ fans what an NFL wide receiver is supposed to look like.

Read More: Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams

The Cleveland Browns are looking to rebound following two straight losses to San Francisco and Houston when they play host to the St. Louis Rams. Sitting with just one win on the season, the Browns are considered favorites to snap their losing streak and get back to their winning ways to gain ground in the ultra-competitive AFC North division. Cleveland is going through a tough season in regards to injuries and, really, all kinds of controversy.

For the Rams, they’re coming off a demoralizing loss to the Arizona Cardinals in which they had two safeties and generally outplayed them by a good margin throughout. St. Louis is at the bottom of the NFC West division and looking more and more like they’re not in contention. A win for them would likely keep head coach Steve Spagnuolo safe from any discussion about losing his job.

Game Date/Time: Sunday, Nov. 13; 1:00 p.m. ET

Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

TV Schedule: FOX (TV Distribution Maps)

TV Announcers: Ron Pitts, Jim Mora Jr.

Radio Coverage: 101 ESPN (Rams), WMMS/WTAM-100.7

For more on the Cleveland Browns head over to Dawgs By Nature.

By Satchel Price

– Newsdesk contributor

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Nov 9, 2011 – The St. Louis Rams are traveling to Ohio to play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday as they try to win their second game of the season. The Rams, currently 1-7 on the year, are hoping to rebound from last week’s disappointing loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

The team has really struggled on the road all season, though, getting handily defeated in its first three road games before losing a close one in Arizona to the Cardinals last week. Their lone win, a 31-21 upset of the New Orleans Saints, came in front of the home crowd, but they failed to sustain momentum from that game while being defeated by Arizona. Hopefully another week working with Sam Bradford can get the team’s offense going.

Cleveland, currently 3-5 on the year, has struggled of late. They’ve lost consecutive games to San Francisco and Houston and haven’t really found a groove on offense all year.The Browns have given up less passing yards than anyone in the league, but that’s mostly a result of playing bad quarterbacks and an inability to stop the run.

Even the Browns’ record is somewhat deceptive, as their wins have come against three of the league’s worst teams, Miami, Seattle and Indianapolis. But at home against the Rams, they actually have a pretty solid chance of winning, although there’s a good chance that Rams running back Steven Jackson tears up Cleveland’s league-worst defense.

For more on Sunday’s game, check out Turf Show Times, SB Nation’s St. Louis Rams blog, and Dawgs By Nature, SB Nation’s Cleveland Browns blog.

Read More: Sam Bradford (QB – STL), Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams

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Patrick Peterson of the Cardinals breaks free from the grasp of Chris Chamberlain of the Rams on a 99-yard, game-winning punt return in overtime during Sunday’s game in Glendale, Ariz.

Photo by The Associated Press.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The St. Louis Rams seemed to have victory sewn up. All they needed was a fourth field goal of the day from Josh Brown as time expired.

The 42-yarder was well within the reliable kicker’s range. But Arizona’s 6-foot-8 Calais Campbell soared to block the kick and send the game to overtime. Then rookie Patrick Peterson put a stunning end to the game with a 99-yard punt return and the Cardinals won 19-13, snapping a six-game skid.

“It is probably the toughest loss I have had since I have been in the league,” said Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, who was back after missing two games with a high left ankle sprain. “I felt that for the most part we controlled this game. At the end with the opportunities we had in their territory and to possibly go ahead and not convert, it is tough.”

The Rams (1-7) were coming off their first win of the season, a 31-21 upset of New Orleans. They dominated the first half statistically Sunday, yet led just 9-6. Still, after two Arizona safeties on consecutive offensive plays, St. Louis led 13-6. Even after the Cardinals rallied, the Rams seemed to be in position to still pull it out.

“You are going to have games like this where you feel like you did everything right to win the game but couldn’t finish out,” Rams linebacker Brady Poppinga said. “Give Arizona credit. They held in there until the final play and they made the play. They made one more play than us.”

That play was a stunner, one that went totally against what a punt returner is supposed to do. Nobody fields a punt at his 1-yard line — except the confident, talented rookie from LSU.

“On conventional wisdom, I am sure that his coaches, when he caught it, were saying, ‘You’re supposed to let it go,’” St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “So it’s where we wanted to kick it. It was a gutsy play by a really good player. I don’t know what else to say. I don’t think we did anything wrong.”

Peterson became the first player in NFL history to have three punt returns for scores in his first eight games. His was the second touchdown punt return in overtime in NFL history; the other was 86 yards by Tamarick Vanover of Kansas City to beat San Diego on Oct. 9, 1995.

“He’s a special young man,” Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “I’m glad that we have him on our football team — my new son.”

John Skelton, starting in place of Arizona’s Kevin Kolb, gave up safeties on consecutive plays in the third quarter, then threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald with 4:51 to tie the game 13-13.

Brown had field goals of 48, 37 and 41 yards.

Steven Jackson rushed for 130 yards in 29 carries and Sam Bradford was 23-of-36 for 255 yards. Skelton was 20-of-35 for 222 yards for the Rams.

Donnie Jones twice pinned the Cardinals inside their 10-yard line in the third quarter to set up the safeties. The first punt was downed at the 2. Arizona moved it to the 5, then James Hall burst through for a sack for a safety that boosted St. Louis’ lead to 11-6. Arizona got the ball at its 9 the next time, and Skelton was called for intentional grounding on a rollout pass, giving the Rams a 13-6 lead.

It was the first time a player yielded two safeties in a quarter since Aaron Rodgers did it against Minnesota on Nov. 9, 2008. The last player to have safeties on consecutive plays was Kordell Stewart of Pittsburgh against Jacksonville on Oct. 3, 1999.

The safeties marked the first time in NFL history a team had scored a total of four points in a quarter.

With Kolb out with a turf toe, Skelton, a 2010 fifth-round draft pick out of Fordham, brought the Cardinals back with a no-huddle offense. He completed 5-of-7 passes for 47 yards and scrambled twice for 28 on a nine-play, 84-yard drive for the game’s only touchdown on a leaping grab by Fitzgerald in the back of the end zone.

The Rams took the subsequent kickoff and drove to the Arizona 32, where they had third-and-1, but twice Jackson was stopped for no gain, the first time by O’Brien Schofield, the second by Darnell Dockett. St. Louis chose to go for it on fourth-and-one rather than let Brown try a 50-yarder.

St. Louis got another chance.

Bradford’s 23-yard pass to Austin Pettis moved the ball to the 42, then a 5-yarder to Pettis moved it to the 37. Cornerback Michael Adams was injured on the play and had to be carted off. St. Louis tight end Lance Kendricks and wide receiver Greg Salas had been taken off on carts earlier.

The pass interference penalty on Peterson — against Brandon Lloyd, who caught five for 80 yards — moved the ball well within Brown’s range. The Cardinals had lost four games by four points or fewer and they seemed headed for a fifth, until Campbell, with a generous shove from Dockett, knocked the kick away.

“It’s one of those ones that stings extremely deep to the soul of a competitor,” Poppinga said. “We had every opportunity to win, and just couldn’t as a team finish it out.”

Salas probably is out for the season with a broken leg. The Rams also lost Kendricks with a sprained foot, Josh Hull with a hamstring injury and Brandon Gibson with a hip injury.

On Sunday, Nov. 6, Patrick Peterson(notes) returned a punt 99 yards just two minutes into overtime to give the Arizona Cardinals a 19-13 victory over the St.Louis Rams. Steven Jackson led the Rams with 130 yards rushing.

Here are three thoughts on the game:

The Rams found another way to lose

Just when I thought the Rams might be able to salvage something from the season, the team gave away what would have been its second victory of the season. First, the Cardinals drove down field and tied the game a John Skelton(notes) touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald(notes) with just under five minutes left in the game. That didn’t upset me too much. The defense had a great game, and I wasn’t going to complain about the team finally giving up a score.

However, I’m more displeased with how the Rams’ special teams threw the game away. St. Louis drove down the field and was in position to kick a field goal for the win, but as time expired Cardinals’ defensive end Calais Campbell(notes) blocked Ram’s kicker Josh Brown’s(notes) attempt. The game ended minutes later on Peterson’s punt return.

The most frustrating part of this collapse is that the Rams’ special teams have been relatively solid this season. The unit isn’t tops in the NFL by any means, but overall, it’s been the inept offense, penalties, and an inability to stop the run that have burned the Rams this season, not the special teams. I can’t explain it. I’m absolutely baffled. This game was the Rams’ to win, and they threw it away.

Safety times two

The Rams’ defense held the Cardinals to 262 yards total offense and 13 points in its second straight dominant performance. The team also held Beanie Wells(notes) to only 20 yards rushing while recording two safeties in the third quarter.

I know the Rams were facing a second-string quarterback, but where has this defense been for most of the season? To hold one of the league’s best running backs this season to 20 yards rushing is an outstanding accomplishment. If the Rams had played defense like that during the first six games of the season, maybe they aren’t 1-7 right now.

Moving the ball between the 20s

Perhaps the hardest part of the game to watch is the Rams’ inability to put points on the board. St. Louis completely dominated the first half, but all the team could manage was three field goals. That’s not good enough. The Rams have no red zone offense. That’s been evident all season. They can move the ball between the 20-yard markers just fine, but once they get close to the end zone, the team falls apart. The trade for Brandon Lloyd(notes) was supposed to help solve that problem, but while he’s been a solid addition to the team, the Rams still can’t score inside the 20-yard line. At this point, I’m scratching my head and wondering if the team will ever fix the red zone problem.

Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson’s 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Quarterback John Skelton was steady, if unspectacular, in replacing the injured Kevin Kolb. There is no controversy there, but Kolb should take notice of how Skelton chose to step up in the pocket, avoiding pressure from the ends. Kolb doesn’t do that enough. For a guy 6 feet 6 and 244 pounds, Skelton moves well. He’s no stiff.

Kent Somers/The Arizona Republic

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – The St. Louis Rams seemed to have victory sewn up. All they needed was a fourth field goal of the day from Josh Brown as time expired.

The 42-yarder was well within the reliable kicker’s range. But Arizona’s 6-foot-8 Calais Campbell soared to block the kick and send the game to overtime. Then rookie Patrick Peterson put a stunning end to the game with a 99-yard punt return and the Cardinals won 19-13, snapping a six-game skid.

“It is probably the toughest loss I have had since I have been in the league,” said Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, back after missing two games with a high left ankle sprain. “I felt that for the most part we controlled this game. At the end with the opportunities we had in their territory and to possibly go ahead and not convert, it is tough.”

The Rams (1-7) were coming off their first win of the season, a 31-21 upset of New Orleans. They dominated the first half statistically Sunday, yet led just 9-6. Still, after two Arizona safeties on consecutive offensive plays, St. Louis led 13-7. Even after the Cardinals rallied, the Rams seemed to be in position to still pull it out.

“You are going to have games like this where you feel like you did everything right to win the game but couldn’t finish out.,” Rams linebacker Brady Poppinga said. “Give Arizona credit. They held in there until the final play and they made the play. They made one more play than us.”

That play was a stunner, one that went totally against what a punt returner is supposed to do. Nobody fields a punt at his 1-yard line – except the confident, talented rookie from LSU.

“On conventional wisdom, I am sure that his coaches, when he caught it, were saying ‘You’re supposed to let it go,’” St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “So it’s where we wanted to kick it. It was a gutsy play by a really good player. I don’t know what else to say. I don’t think we did anything wrong.”

Peterson became the first player in NFL history to have three punt returns for scores in his first eight games. His was the second touchdown punt return in overtime in NFL history; the other was 86 yards by Tamarick Vanover of Kansas City to beat San Diego on Oct. 9, 1995.

“He’s a special young man,” Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “I’m glad that we have him on our football team – my new son.”

John Skelton, starting in place of Arizona’s Kevin Kolb, gave up safeties on consecutive plays in the third quarter, then threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald with 4:51 to tie the game 13-13.

Brown had field goals of 48, 37 and 41 yards.

Steven Jackson rushed for 130 yards in 29 carries and Sam Bradford was 23 of 36 for 255 yards. Skelton was 20 of 35 for 222 yards for the Rams.

Donnie Jones twice pinned the Cardinals inside their 10-yard line in the third quarter to set up the safeties. The first punt was downed at the 2. Arizona moved it to the 5, then James Hall burst through for a sack for a safety that boosted St. Louis’ lead to 11-6. Arizona got the ball at its 9 the next time, and Skelton was called for intentional grounding on a rollout pass, giving the Rams a 13-6 lead.

It was the first time a player yielded two safeties in a quarter since Aaron Rodgers did it against Minnesota on Nov. 9, 2008. The last player to have safeties on consecutive plays was Kordell Stewart of Pittsburgh against Jacksonville on Oct. 3, 1999.

The safeties marked the first time in NFL history a team had scored a total of four points in a quarter.

With Kolb out with a turf toe, Skelton, a 2010 fifth-round draft pick out of Fordham, brought the Cardinals back with a no-huddle offense. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards and scrambled twice for 28 on a nine-play, 84-yard drive for the game’s only touchdown on a leaping grab by Fitzgerald in the back of the end zone.

The Rams took the subsequent kickoff and drove to the Arizona 32, where they had third-and-1, but twice Jackson was stopped for no gain, the first time by O’Brien Schofield, the second by Darnell Dockett. St. Louis chose to go for it on fourth-and-one rather than let Brown try a 50-yarder.

St. Louis got another chance.

Bradford’s 23-yard pass to Austin Pettis moved the ball to the 42, then a 5-yarder to Pettis moved it to the 37. Cornerback Michael Adams was injured on the play and had to be carted off. St. Louis tight end Lance Kendricks and wide receiver Greg Salas had been taken off on carts earlier.

The pass interference penalty on Peterson – against Brandon Lloyd, who caught five for 80 yards – moved the ball well within Brown’s range. The Cardinals had lost four games by four points or fewer and they seemed headed for a fifth, until Campbell, with a generous shove from Dockett, knocked the kick away.

“It’s one of those ones that stings extremely deep to the soul of a competitor,” Poppinga said. “We had every opportunity to win, and just couldn’t as a team finish it out.”

Salas probably is out for the season with a broken leg. The Rams also lost Kendricks with a sprained foot, Josh Hull with a hamstring injury and Brandon Gibson with a hip injury.

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP)—Patrick Peterson(notes) sure delivered a dramatic end to his
team’s six-game losing streak.

The rookie cornerback returned a punt 99 yards for a touchdown in overtime
to give the Arizona Cardinals a stunning 19-13 victory over the St. Louis Rams
on Sunday.

Peterson, whose pass interference penalty moments earlier seemed to set up
the Rams (1-7) for a game-winning field goal, fielded the ball at the 1. He
evaded and bounced off tacklers over the next 30 yards or so, then outran
everyone, striding the last few yards in celebration of his third punt return TD
of the season as Arizona (2-6) won for the first time since the opening week of
the season.

It was the second punt return in NFL history to win a game in overtime. The
other was 86 yards by Tamarick Vanover of Kansas City to beat San Diego on Oct.
9, 1995.

Arizona’s Calais Campbell(notes) blocked Josh Brown’s(notes) 42-yard field goal attempt as
regulation ended to force the overtime.

John Skelton(notes), starting in place of Arizona’s Kevin Kolb(notes), gave up safeties on
consecutive plays in the third quarter, then threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to
Larry Fitzgerald(notes) with 4:51 to tie the game at 13-13.

Brown had field goals of 48, 37 and 41 yards.

Steven Jackson rushed for 130 yards in 29 carries and Sam Bradford(notes), back
after missing two games with a high ankle sprain, completed 23 of 36 for 255
yards. Skelton was 20 of 35 for 222 yards for the Rams.

Donnie Jones(notes) twice pinned the Cardinals inside their 10-yard line in the
third quarter to set up the safeties. The first punt was downed at the 2.
Arizona moved it to the 5, then James Hall(notes) burst through for a sack for a safety
that boosted St. Louis’ lead to 11-6. Arizona got the ball at its 9 the next
time, and Skelton was called for intentional grounding on a rollout pass, giving
the Rams a 13-6 lead.

It was the first time a player yielded two safeties in a quarter since Aaron
Rodgers(notes) did it against Minnesota on Nov. 9, 2008. The last player to have
safeties on consecutive plays was Kordell Stewart of Pittsburgh against
Jacksonville on Oct. 3, 1999.

The safeties marked the first time in NFL history that a team had scored a
total of four points in a quarter.

Skelton, a 2010 fifth-round draft pick out of Fordham, brought the Cardinals
back. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards and scrambled twice for 28 on a
nine-play, 84-yard drive for the game’s only touchdown on a leaping grab by
Fitzgerald in the back of the end zone.

The Rams took the subsequent kickoff and drove to the Arizona 32, where they
had third-and-1, but twice Jackson was stopped for no gain, the first time by
O’Brien Schofield(notes), the second by Darnell Dockett(notes).

The Cardinals couldn’t take advantage, though, because Skelton fumbled but
recovered for a 15-yard loss and Arizona had to punt with a minute to play in
regulation.

Bradford’s 23-yard pass to Austin Pettis(notes) moved the ball to the 42, then a
5-yarder to Pettis moved it to the 37. Cornerback Michael Adams(notes) was injured on
the play and had to be carted off. St. Louis tight end Lance Kendricks(notes) and wide
receiver Greg Salas(notes) had been taken off on carts earlier.

The pass interference penalty on Peterson—against Brandon Lloyd(notes), who
caught five for 80 yards—moved the ball well within Brown’s range. But the
6-foot-8 Campbell knocked it away.

Peterson’s game-winning play came a day after his college team, No. 1 LSU,
defeated then No. 2 Alabama 9-6 in overtime.

The Rams dominated the first half statistically but led only 9-3.

Bradford was sacked three times in the first half, two of them to stall
drives and force St. Louis to settle for field goals. Adrian Wilson(notes) stopped
Steven Jackson four a four-yard loss to at the 19 to stall the other Rams drive.

St. Louis outgained Arizona 189-58 in the first half and had a 13-4
advantage in first downs. That all turned around in the second half.

Peterson, whose pass interference penalty moments earlier seemed to set up the Rams (1-7) for a game-winning field goal, fielded the ball at the 1. He evaded and bounced off tacklers over the next 30 yards or so, then outran everyone, striding the last few yards in celebration of his third punt return TD of the season as Arizona (2-6) won for the first time since the opening week of the season.

It was the second punt return in NFL history to win a game in overtime. The other was 86 yards by Tamarick Vanover of Kansas City to beat San Diego on Oct. 9, 1995.

Arizona’s Calais Campbell blocked Josh Brown’s 42-yard field goal attempt as regulation ended to force the overtime.

John Skelton, starting in place of Arizona’s Kevin Kolb, gave up safeties on consecutive plays in the third quarter, then threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald with 4:51 to tie the game at 13-13.

Brown had field goals of 48, 37 and 41 yards.

Steven Jackson rushed for 130 yards in 29 carries and Sam Bradford, back after missing two games with a high ankle sprain, completed 23 of 36 for 255 yards. Skelton was 20 of 35 for 222 yards for the Rams.

Donnie Jones twice pinned the Cardinals inside their 10-yard line in the third quarter to set up the safeties. The first punt was downed at the 2. Arizona moved it to the 5, then James Hall burst through for a sack for a safety that boosted St. Louis’ lead to 11-6. Arizona got the ball at its 9 the next time, and Skelton was called for intentional grounding on a rollout pass, giving the Rams a 13-6 lead.

It was the first time a player yielded two safeties in a quarter since Aaron Rodgers did it against Minnesota on Nov. 9, 2008. The last player to have safeties on consecutive plays was Kordell Stewart of Pittsburgh against Jacksonville on Oct. 3, 1999.

The safeties marked the first time in NFL history that a team had scored a total of four points in a quarter.

Skelton, a 2010 fifth-round draft pick out of Fordham, brought the Cardinals back. He completed 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards and scrambled twice for 28 on a nine-play, 84-yard drive for the game’s only touchdown on a leaping grab by Fitzgerald in the back of the end zone.

The Rams took the subsequent kickoff and drove to the Arizona 32, where they had third-and-1, but twice Jackson was stopped for no gain, the first time by O’Brien Schofield, the second by Darnell Dockett.

The Cardinals couldn’t take advantage, though, because Skelton fumbled but recovered for a 15-yard loss and Arizona had to punt with a minute to play in regulation.

Bradford’s 23-yard pass to Austin Pettis moved the ball to the 42, then a 5-yarder to Pettis moved it to the 37. Cornerback Michael Adams was injured on the play and had to be carted off. St. Louis tight end Lance Kendricks and wide receiver Greg Salas had been taken off on carts earlier.

The pass interference penalty on Peterson — against Brandon Lloyd, who caught five for 80 yards — moved the ball well within Brown’s range. But the 6-foot-8 Campbell knocked it away.

Peterson’s game-winning play came a day after his college team, No. 1 LSU, defeated then No. 2 Alabama 9-6 in overtime.

The Rams dominated the first half statistically but led only 9-3.

Bradford was sacked three times in the first half, two of them to stall drives and force St. Louis to settle for field goals. Adrian Wilson stopped Steven Jackson four a four-yard loss to at the 19 to stall the other Rams drive.

St. Louis outgained Arizona 189-58 in the first half and had a 13-4 advantage in first downs. That all turned around in the second half.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Read More: James Hall (DE – STL), Donnie Jones (P – STL), Sam Bradford (QB – STL), Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams

Although it certainly hasn’t been a work of art, the St. Louis Rams are one quarter away from winning their second consecutive  game, as they lead 13-6 over the Arizona Cardinals. The play of the defense was exceptional in the 3rd quarter, with the Rams recording two safeties, courtesy of sacks from James Hall and CJ Ah You.

Each safety came courtesy of a great punt by Donnie Jones, who has been instrumental in helping the Rams build this lead. The offense has sputtered despite being able to move the ball down the field, but Jones has been able to pin the Cardinals near their endzone on multiple punts.The defense has also been excellent in limiting Cardinals RB Beanie Wells to only 20 yards on 10 carries.

On the offensive end, Sam Bradford has been solid in his return from an ankle injury. Bradford has completed 16/23 for 187 yards and an early interception. Steven Jackson has been effective on the ground, rushing for 74 yards.

Be sure to stay tuned to Turf Show Times, SB Nation’s St. Louis Rams blog, and Revenge of the Birds, SB Nation’s Arizona Cardinals blog.

Read More: Michael Hoomanawanui (TE – STL), Lance Kendricks (TE – STL), St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams’ offense has been firing on more cylinders than usual against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, but they could be without rookie tight end Lance Kendricks for a while if his foot injury turns out to be serious. Or it’s an ankle injury—or it’s a leg injury—or, suffice it to say, Twitter and the football community at large are as confused as they are concerned about the injury to a guy who’s struggled since being anointed one of the prime fantasy football sleepers of the 2011 NFL season.

Whatever it is, we know that Kendricks was carted off the field and is questionable to return. In the meantime ankle-injury-magnet Michael Hoomanawanui, coming off one of his better games in Week 8, is the best bet to see action in this newly reinvigorated Rams offense. For more updates, follow along in this storystream or check out Turf Show Times, the best St. Louis Rams blog on the internet, so far as we can tell.

Sam Bradford has missed the St. Louis Rams’ last two games with a high ankle sprain. This week marked the first time since the injury that Bradford has participated in practice, as he took about half of the snaps this week.

Earlier today on the FOX pregame show, Jay Glazer reported that Bradford said he would play. Of course, the ultimate decision is up to the team doctors and head coach Steve Spagnuolo, but according to Glazer, it looks like Bradford thinks he can give it a go against the Arizona Cardinals.

Then the Rams made it official via Twitter, announcing Bradford will start today.

Lloyd’s first game with the Rams was also the first game Bradford missed.

With the Rams picking up their first win of the season last weekend against the Saints, the Rams now have a chance to begin a winning streak. The Rams travel to Arizona in Week 9, travel to Cleveland in Week 10, host Seattle in Week 11 and host Arizona in Week 12.

With a healthy Bradford, it would be very reasonable to expect the Rams to win all four of these games. If they would pull off that kind of winning streak, the Rams would be 5-6, and with two games remaining against the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers, the Rams would at least control their own fate in the NFC West.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — With their starting quarterbacks hurting, the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals meet with last place in arguably the worst division in pro football at stake.

The Rams and Cardinals match 1-6 records Sunday and, if a team can claim momentum in such a situation, it would be St. Louis. The Rams upset New Orleans 31-21 last weekend with backup A.J. Feeley replacing quarterback Sam Bradford.

“It definitely gives you something to build off of. It’s starting to turn the mood around,” running back Steven Jackson said. “Of course, whenever you go 0-6 or you go winless for a little bit, the mood changes and things become not as fun. The life has returned back into the locker room. Guys are feeling good about what we did last week, but we are completely focused that it is a week-to-week season. It’s good to get that one last week. Now we have to keep it going and prove that last week wasn’t just a fluke.”

Bradford might return this week after missing two games with a high left ankle sprain.

Meanwhile, Arizona’s Kevin Kolb has a turf toe injury to his right foot and could be replaced by second-year pro John Skelton, who went 2-2 as a rookie starter late last season.

“I got the experience under my belt,” Skelton said. “I got hit by an NFL player. I threw an NFL pass. The whole experience helps you in so many ways. I think I fit in now. Maybe last year in training camp and stuff I felt out of place. But now I know I can make all the throws. I’ve seen a lot of defenses, and I’ll be prepared for what they bring.”

No matter who plays quarterback, this is not where these teams thought they would be going into the halfway point of the season.

The Rams were coming off a 7-9 record that was their best since 2006. The Cardinals, after a dismal 5-11 season, made several personnel moves, most significantly the trade to bring in Kolb. Yet St. Louis, with a rough early schedule and a slew of injuries, lost its first six. Arizona won its season opener, but with Kolb struggling more than anticipated has dropped six in a row.

“We expect to win every Sunday and if you don’t do that, you should not be playing in this league,” Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “We were disappointed and we kept grinding and kept grinding, guys kept working, nobody gave in, guys didn’t point fingers, and that was important.”

While the Rams stopped their free-fall, at least for now, the Cardinals are grasping for a much-needed win in their only home stop in a four-game stretch. Last Sunday’s 30-27 last-second loss at Baltimore was Arizona’s 11th consecutive road loss, a streak that dates to the 2010 season opener at St. Louis. The Cardinals had beaten the Rams eight times in a row before losing to them at home last December.

Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett expressed admiration for what the Rams were able to do against the heavily favored Saints.

“I’m pretty sure everybody in the world counted them out against the Saints and they proved everybody wrong,” Dockett said.

The Cardinals find no solace in the fact that four of their losses have come by four points or fewer. Last week against the Ravens, Arizona led 24-3 in the first half only to lose on a last-second field goal.

“It hurts,” Dockett said. “But you learn a lesson from that. The game ain’t over until it’s over.

The other close losses came by one at Washington, three at Seattle and four at home to the New York Giants. By contrast, only one of St. Louis’ losses was by single digits, 17-10 at home against Washington. Before they stunned the Saints, the Rams had been outscored 58-10 in consecutive defeats at Green Bay and Dallas, part of a brutal early schedule that also included games against Philadelphia and Baltimore.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, have struggled to protect the passer. Kolb has been sacked 24 times, the most for one NFC quarterback, and went down six times against the Ravens. Coach Ken Whisenhunt said it’s a combination of pass blocking and Kolb not getting the ball out quickly enough. It doesn’t help that the team has played Pittsburgh and Baltimore, two of the league’s top defenses, the past two weeks.

While the teams have had more than their fair share of woes, both have had some success on the ground.

Jackson, the Rams’ career leader in yards rushing, worked himself back from a quadriceps injury that occurred on the first play of the season to gain 159 yards in 25 carries, including two touchdowns against New Orleans.

Arizona’s Beanie Wells, despite a nagging sore knee, had 83 yards in 22 attempts against Baltimore. The two big backs have similar bruising running styles.

“Beanie is a horse now,” Spagnuolo said. “He can do anything. He can run outside, inside, he cuts it back, he runs over people, he can shake people. He’s a premier back.”

Even though he has missed a game, Wells has 506 yards rushing in 115 attempts, an average of 4.5 per carry. Jackson has 449 yards in just 84 carries, an average of 5.3.

Jackson’s style has led to a series of injuries, but he always seems to come back with a flourish.

“I would say you get frustrated at times,” he said. “You’d like your job to be smooth sailing, but that just hasn’t been my career. I take great pride in showing up each and every game, each and every day, regardless of the situation, and playing with pride and integrity.”

At the midpoint of the season, the Rams are playing an NFC West foe for the first time and the Cardinals for the second.